Purpose of this Blog...

You may have noticed that not all books are equal in capturing children's imaginations and in cultivating those innocent, tender souls. My goal is to help you find the ones that do!
(Painting by Mary Cassatt: "Mrs Cassatt Reading to her Grandchildren" -1888)




Friday, July 9, 2010

FAIRY TALES, HORSES...AND SAINTS! FROM THE HAND OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE ILLUSTRATORS: RUTH SANDERSON



Ruth Sanderson says, "I loved two things the most when I was growing up - fairy tales and horses. And for the past 30-odd years I have been drawing and painting them both for the many books I have illustrated."

My daughter and I first discovered Ruth Sanderson when we found her picture book adaptation of a favorite fairy tale, TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES. It is lavishly illustrated with page after page of some of the most beautiful and dreamlike oil paintings I've ever seen. Sanderson calls her art "romantic but realistic". She also did the illustrations for another of my daughter's favorites - a wonderful edition of HEIDI, by Johanna Spyri.

If you have a child that loves horses, you should check out Ruth Sanderson's blog: http://www.horsediaries.blogspot.com/ where she talks about creating the artwork for her chapter book series, HORSE DIARIES. (ages 9-12)

She has also beautifully illustrated some wonderful Biblical and saints' stories, including our favorites (several of which have a flavor of Byzantine iconography): SAINTS: LIVES AND ILLUMINATIONS (first millennium saints, includes martyrs and desert fathers);
TAPESTRIES, STORIES OF WOMEN IN THE BIBLE; and
THE NATIVITY: FROM THE GOSPELS OF MATTHEW AND LUKE

Some of her more recent adaptations (for preschool and up), which I can hardly wait to see myself, are MOTHER GOOSE AND FRIENDS and GOLDILOCKS.

For a complete list of her many books and beautiful artwork, go to: http://www.ruthsanderson.com/


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